Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1899 American Edition.djvu/353

 CONSTITUTION AND GOVERNMENT 13

In all the great towns, including 'county boroughs,' local business is administered by a municipal Corporation, which derives its authority I'roni a charter granted by the Crown. In 1835 the municipalities of the country were completely reorganised. A municipal Corporation consists of tlie mayor, aldermen, and burgesses, and acts through a Council elected by the burgesses — practically by the ratepayers. The councillors serve for three years, one- third retiring annually ; the aldermen are elected by the Council, and the mayor, who serves for one year, also Ijy the Council. A municipal Cori»oration has practically all the powers of an unljan district council, in addition to the privilege of electing a mayor and corporation, and in some cases municipal boroughs have a separate commission of the peace and maintain their own police force. As to Poor Law and School Board administration, see ' Pauperism ' and 'Instniction.'

Scotland. — By the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1894, a Local Govern- ment Board for Scotland was constituted, its President being the Secretary for Scotland. The Local Government Act which was passed for Scotland in 1889 followed in its main outlines the English Act of the previous year. The powers of local administration in counties formerly exercised by the Com- missioners of Supply and Road Trustees were either wholly or in part trans- ferred to the new Councils, which took over their duties and responsibilities in 1890. The Act of 1894 provided that a Parish Council should be established in every parish to take the place of the Parochial Boards and to exercise powers similar to those of the Parish Councils in England. Municipal bodies exist in the towns of Scotland, as in those of England, but instead of ' aldermen ' there are ' bailies, ' and instead of a ' mayor ' there is a 'provost.' There are in Scotland five kinds of burghs — (1) Burghs of barony ; (2) Burghs of regality (no practical distinction between these two) ; (3) Royal Burghs, representatives of which meet together annually in Edinburgh, as the 'Convention of Royal Burghs,' for the trans- action of business ; (4) Parliamentary Burghs which by an Act passed in 1879 are enabled to send representatives to the convention ; (5) Police Burghs, in which the local authority are the Police Commissioners.

Ireland. — The principal county authority for local government has hither- to been the grand jury, appointed under the Act 6 & 7 Will. IV. c. 116 ; but, by the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, provision was made for the esta- blishment of popularly elected councils for counties and districts. The councillors will be elected for three years, and the first council in each county and district may choose additional members to hold office till the next triennial election. The councils will take over the administrative business forme i-ly managed by the grand juries and presentment sessions, especially the business relating to poor rates, roads, asylums, hospitals, and public health, while the appointment of coroners is also made over to them. The cities of Dublin, Belfast, Cork, Limerick, Londonderry, and Waterford, which already possess representative councils, are made county boroughs, and are exempt from some of the special provisions of the Act. Urban sanitary authorities become urban district councils, and for rural polling districts district councils will be created, the councillors, urban and rural, being the guardians in their districts. The towns are partly corporate and partly governed by Commissioners, Certain boroughs have a mayor, aldennen, and councillors, whose powers are regulated by 3 & 4 Vict, c, 108, The ordinary affairs of the borough, such as lighting, watching, and cleansing, are adminis- tered by the Council, which has power to levy rates for these purposes. In such towns as have no charter of incorporation, the local affairs are adminis- tered by a body of Commissioners, who have powers generally to discharge the usual municipal functions, and are empowered to levy rates to defi-ay the